The Legend of Zelda: Heart of the Sages
by hyrulianscribe
Summary: When evil rises once again in Hyrule, six teens find themselves transported into the world of the Legend of Zelda. What does their destiny hold? LinkxOC GhirahimxOC
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Originally, I planned to have this story set in the Ocarina of Time world, but as the story developed in my head, I realized it didn't quite fit there. So instead, it's set somewhere between Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time. I'll do my best to make sure everything flows well and makes sense, but the Zelda timeline is so complicated, I hope you'll bear with me if I make any mistakes. Now, onto the story!_

* * *

 **Chapter I**

 **~Julie~**

Julie walked down the hallway, fiddling with the flowered barrette pinned in her short brown hair, making sure it was straight. Today was the first Monday after returning to school from the winter holidays, and Mondays meant Video Game and Anime Club. She wasn't much of a gamer herself, but she did like anime and besides, it was her best chance to hang out with her three best friends. She came to the classroom where the club met and entered. Late afternoon sun poured into the windows of the classroom, which was empty except for two other girls, one a redhead with long curls hanging down to her waist sitting at a desk. Sitting on top of a desk beside the redhead, the second girl, her auburn waves hanging over her shoulders, was doubled over in laughter, while the redhead smirked and shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Hi guys!" Julie called from the doorway.

The two girls turned toward her, and the girl with auburn hair, an 11th grader named Anya, jumped off the desk. "Julie, you're here!"

"Here I am!" Julie chimed happily. She crossed the room, dropping her bag on an empty desk, and hugged the two girls respectively. "I missed you guys so much. Did you have a good holiday?" she asked, sliding into the desk.

"Yep," Anya said with a nod. "I spent the whole time cooking, and guess what I brought." She grabbed her own backpack from the floor, unzipping it, and pulled out a plastic container filled with various candies. "Homemade candy! Who's your best friend?" She jammed a finger at her chest. "That's right, it's me!"

"Yay!" Julie said, jumping with excitement. "Let's eat it now!"

Anya pulled open the lid and held it out. Julie grabbed a chocolate covered caramel, popping it into her mouth with a happy moan. Turning to the redhead, Anya waved the container under her nose. "Lindsaaaay, you know you want soooome."

Lindsay grimaced. "No thanks, I'm on a no sweets diet." Anya poked her lips out in a pout and pulled the container away with a shrug, not noticing the longing glance Lindsay cast in the direction of the container.

Anya took a bite of a candy. "More for me!"

Lindsay rolled her eyes and looked at the clock. It read ten past four. She stood and crossed to the teacher's podium at the front of the room, brushing down her gray uniform skirt and clearing her throat so Julie and Anya looked up at her. The black wedge heels she wore raised her 4'10 stature to an almost normal height. "We will now commence the Willow Academy Video Game and Anime Club's first meeting since the Christmas holidays," she spoke, her tone smoothly authoritative. "I trust everyone enjoyed their holiday?"

"Yep," Julie said, while Anya cried, "I had a ton of fun baking!" She held up the container of candies, just in case they had forgotten.

Lindsay nodded. "Good," she said, continuing her speech. "For today's meeting, Vice President Cara Blackwater will be giving a presentation on the Legend of Zelda." She pausing, glancing once again at the clock. "That is, if she ever gets here." She tapped her fingers on the podium, looking at the clock impatiently. "Okay, that's it," she said, dropping her proper tone, "Cara Blackwater, where are you!" Lindsay shouted.

To her surprise, a distant voice shouted back, "I'm coming!" followed by the sound of footsteps running down the hallway, and a girl with shoulder length blonde hair tied in a high ponytail appeared in the doorway. She leaned her hands on her knees, gasping. "Sorry, I'm here now!" she said breathlessly.

Lindsay crossed her arms. "You're fifteen minutes late!"

"It's not my fault. Blame Nelly!" Cara said defensively, straightening and turning to glare over her shoulder.

"What? How is it my fault?" a male voice said. A tall, lanky boy with brown hair entered behind Cara. He leaned against the doorway, brushing a strand of brown hair out of his face.

"Who left the flash drive in his first period class?" Cara snapped. "You're lucky someone didn't steal it."

"Wha-well, you're the one who made me carry it in the first place," Nelly retorted, tossing his bangs back as they once again fell across his dark blue eyes.

Cara rolled her eyes in exasperation and held out her hand. "Just give me the drive."

Nelly opened his mouth to reply again, but Lindsay cut in. "Freshman! Give your sister the flash drive and sit," she said, pointing to a chair in the corner.

"Oh fine," Nelly said. He pulled a flash drive from the pocket of his gray joggers and handed it to Cara before crossing to the desk and slouching in the seat, arms crossed, muttering something inaudible beneath his breath.

Cara took the flash drive to the computer. Waving at Anya and Julie with a big grin on her face, she plugged in the flash drive and fiddled with the computer a bit. After several moments, a slideshow appeared on the wall. The first slide read in dark green letters, "Zelda: A Legend Throughout the Ages" with a set of three golden triangles joined together into one large triangle adorning the center of the slide.

Cara stood, clapping her hands excitedly. "Okay! As you all know, today I will be giving a presentation on the Legend of Zelda game series. There is one very important thing you all must know," she met each club member's eyes, her face grimly serious, "and that is that Zelda is the single most important thing in the universe."

A slapping sound came from the corner of the room as Nelly smacked his forehead. "And that's my sister," he groaned.

Cara glared at him and he held his hands up in apology. "Anyway," Cara said, "now that we've established the most important fact, let me introduce you to the Triforce." She pointed at the golden triangles. "The Triforce, the legendary symbol of the three goddesses, plays a vital role in Hyrule, the world of Zelda." She moved to change the slide, but as she did, a loud snap cracked the air, making them all jump. A bright flash of light blinded them momentarily before fading to a luminous glow.

"Why is the Triforce glowing like that?" Anya asked, staring at the triangles which gleamed, seeming to almost come out of the wall. Before anyone had a chance to respond, the glow brightened again, covering their vision in a blinding white light. Julie raised a hand to shield her eyes, and the world turned black.

* * *

Heat. Heavy, suffocating. So hot, her sweat seemed to evaporate the moment it left her pores, and her lungs burned with every breath so that she almost choked. Julie opened her eyes, blinking against the red heat which left them feeling dry and gritty, and sat up. A smoky red haze covered her vision as she turned her head back and forth, taking in her surroundings. Everywhere she looked, she saw lava. A lake of lava bubbled menacingly around the brown stone platform she sat upon and streamed in molten cascades down the walls. Occasionally, a geyser of lava shot into the air, sending sprays of magma flying about. She stood shakily to her feet, struggling to breathe in the smothering heat. So hot. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, questions prodded. What was this place? What was going on? But her mind couldn't focus properly. So hot. She had to get out of this place, and soon.

Julie's amber flecked brown eyes scanned the cavelike area once again, searching for a way out. There. She focused on a small opening, high above her head. She could just catch a glimpse of pale blue from it. A rope ladder hung down the wall, leading to the opening. She forced her legs to walk to the wall and grabbed the rope. Eyeing it suspiciously, she gave it a hard tug. The rope did not break or disintegrate. Gulping, she pulled herself up onto the first rung. Her limbs felt heavy as lead, and it took effort just to make her fingers close around the rope, to support her weight. But she had to get out of here. Quickly as she could make her body move, she pulled herself up rung by rung, climbing higher and higher. The ladder swayed beneath her body and once her vision swam with dark spots. She clung desperately to the rope, praying that she wouldn't lose consciousness, until the dark spots dissipated and she continued her agonizing climb. Finally, she felt the slightest breeze play against her cheeks, refreshingly cool. Turning her face up, she saw the opening just above her, a crevice in the rock wall big enough for a very large man to fit through. Two more rungs and her hand gripped the ledge. With her little remaining strength, she pulled herself onto the ledge and lay there, inhaling cool, fresh air in deep gasps. She lay there in the shade of the rock wall for a long while, enjoying the coolness, although the heat inside still beat at her, until she realized she was thirsty. Pushing herself up once more, Julie examined her new surroundings.

The ledge she sat on was not far from the ground, perhaps ten feet or so. Lo and behold, a small pool of water glistened below, a single green tree growing beside it. Eagerly, Julie searched for the best way to reach the ground. There were several deep cracks and dips in the rock wall; perhaps she could rock climb down. Cautiously lowering herself, she found a foothold and began to move downwards, but her limbs were weak and before she even climbed down one step, her foot slipped and she fell backwards, landing painfully on the hard ground below with a crash that knocked the wind from her lungs. When her breath returned, she sat up with a groan, rubbing her back which now felt bruised all over. Her palms and knees were also scraped and bleeding. The pool wasn't fall from her. Not trusting herself to stand, she crawled over to it and dipped her stinging hands into the water. It was cool, so cool. Washing the dirt from her hands, she scooped the water to her mouth. After several big gulps, she felt better and sat back. Kicking off her shoes and socks, she dangled her toes in the pool and sighed happily.

Now that her mind was clearer, she at last examined the questions which had been lurking around the edges of her thoughts. Where exactly was she and what the hell was going on? She could see now that she sat atop a mountain, or rather, a volcano judging by the lava inside. Okay, so how had she ended up inside a volcano? The last thing she remembered was Cara starting her presentation on Zelda, then a blinding light coming from those triangles...what had Cara called them? The Triforce. A blinding light came from the Triforce and next thing she knew she was waking up inside a volcano. It didn't make sense. Maybe she was dreaming?

Before Julie had time to further consider her thoughts, she heard voices somewhere nearby. People! Maybe they could tell her where she was, and hopefully figure out a way to get her home. She slipped her shoes back on and stood, following the sound of the voices. They were coming from somewhere near her left. Seeing what looked like it could be a trail hewn into the mountainside, although it was rough and narrow, strewn with giant boulders, a sheer drop off on her right side. She made the mistake of looking down. A wave of vertigo swept over her, making the ground spin beneath her feet. After that, she was careful not to look down again. Sticking as close to the side of the mountain as possible, she picked her way down the trail. The voices were growing closer, assuring her that she was going the right way. Finally, she rounded a bend where the path widened slightly and saw the source of the voices.

Rocks. Rocks with faces, walking toward her, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Julie froze, a mix of confusion, awe, and pure terror swirling inside her head. She didn't have a chance to consider running or hiding because they soon saw her and called to her, waving vigorously.

"Hey!" one of the rocks yelled. "What's a little girl like you doing way up here?"

Well, they seemed friendly enough. Julie hesitated, but not knowing what else to do, stepped towards them. "Hello, my name is Julie," she said. "Could you please tell me where I am?" The rock people came to a stop before her and she gulped nervously. They towered over her, nearly twice her breadth and 5'3 height.

The rock person nearest her laughed. His, at least she thought it was a he, laugh sounded like gravel scraping together. "You're on Death Mountain of course, goro. What other mountain in Hyrule is there?" He clapped a hard, heavy hand on her shoulder, making her knees almost buckle.

Death Mountain? That did seem like an appropriate name, considering the boiling lava. Wait, Hyrule? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she'd heard it.

"Don't tease the poor girl, she must be lost," another rock person said.

"I don't know how she could be lost on Death Mountain," the first rock said.

The second gestured at Julie. "She's clearly not from around here. Look at her clothes. And her ears! I've never seen a Hylian with such small ears before."

The first rock person stared at Julie, studying her with what she thought was a pondering look on his face. "I still don't see how she could be lost. It's obvious this is Death Mountain."

Julie frowned; this wasn't getting anywhere. "Oh never mind, Gogor," the second said, shaking his head. "Perhaps Link can help her. Oi, Link-goro!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Come over here!"

The group of rock people parted to reveal a boy coming towards them, and Julie's heart skipped a beat. He was by far the cutest boy she had ever seen. He was tall, around her age or perhaps a couple of years older, dressed in blue pants and a brown shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular arms. A mess of blonde hair fell into his sparkling blue eyes, and a grin split his face as if he had just been laughing about something. He turned those beautiful eyes on the rock man who had called him. "What is it, Dorbo?" he asked, and Julie thought her heart might melt at the sound of his voice.

Dorbo pointed a stone finger at Julie. "We found a human girl wandering around up here. Seems she's lost; maybe you can help her."

The boy turned to Julie. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Me?" Julie asked. "I'm great. Just a little confused."

"We're just going to mine some bomb flowers from the top of the mountain," the boy said. "Why don't you come with us. What's your name?"

"Julie."

"I'm Link." He flashed a broad smile, showing off perfectly white teeth, and beckoned, looping his fingers around a strap of the pack slung across his shoulders. Not needing much convincing to follow this handsome boy, Julie let him lead the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

 **~Anya~**

The first thing Anya noticed was something coarse and gritty rubbing her skin. The second was the blazing hot sun _burning_ her skin. She opened her eyes and sat up in stunned surprise. "Sand!" she exclaimed with disgust. Standing up, she hastily brushed the irritating substance off. It was everywhere: on her skin, her clothes, in her shoes, in her hair. She was pretty sure there was sand in her ears too!

And then she looked up. And there was sand. It stretched around her as far as she could see on any side. The landscape was a smooth sea of sand, completely unbroken except for an oddly shaped yellow rock protruding from the ground near her left foot. Overhead, the sky stretched blue and cloudless, leaving the sun free to glare fierce and angry down on her head, reflecting brightly off the golden particles covering the ground. With her fair skin, she was sure to be burnt to a bright red crisp in no time.

Anya groaned and stamped the ground angrily. "It's not fair! Why am I stuck in a desert?" she demanded to no one in particular. She paused. "Wait, why _am_ I stuck in a desert?"

She looked around, a little more attentively this time, but she still couldn't see anything but sand and that weird rock. And she had no clue what she was doing here, or where here even was. "Hello?!" she called out as loudly as she could, wondering if anyone was around to hear. Her only response was the distant cawing of a bird. Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms. So, what exactly was she supposed to do? With no real idea in mind, she started walking.

Before she had gone very far, something rose from the sand: a terrifying creature, its green tubular body, almost as large as her, wriggled out of the sand like gross jello, four fang-like objects protruding from the top of its red tipped head. It came toward her with surprising speed, spinning like a top. Anya shrieked and leapt away just before it hit her. The creature recovered quickly, changing directions to come towards her once again. She dodged again, and then another appeared, and another. She shouted in surprise and began to run, while the green creatures chased after her.

"What the heck are these things?" she cried. They kept chasing her, sometimes spinning past her in a failed attack, only to come after her once more. Anya's breath already came in quick gasps. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep running from these things. Just when she was certain she would collapse and the monstrous things would devour her with their icky fangs, a gleam of metal flashed in her peripheral vision. From the corner of her eye she saw a shadow of quick movement, heard the flapping of cloth, and then the green creatures no longer chased her. She stopped running and turned around, panting. A person dressed head to toe in loose white clothing stood behind her, gripping a pair of sharply curved scimitars, the creatures' split bodies splayed about the ground near their feet. The person turned and Anya saw it was a woman. Tanned skin and flaming red hair peaked beneath the hood wrapped around her head and face, billowing out in a cloak over her shoulders.

"Thank you for saving me," Anya said.

The woman surveyed Anya with bright amber eyes. She held one of her blades toward Anya. "Raise your arms," she barked.

Anya stared at her, startled. "But I thought-"

"Up!" the woman repeated, her eyes narrowing sharply. She pointed the scimitar's tip dangerously close to Anya's neck.

Anya swallowed and obediently lifted her arms. The woman grabbed Anya's arms and yanked them down roughly. "Ow!" Anya exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"Quiet," the woman ordered as she secured Anya's wrists in front of her stomach with a coarse rope.

"But I didn't even do anything!"

The woman tugged the rope tight, looping the slack around her own hand. She eyed Anya from the corner of her eye. "Come along," she said, pulling Anya forward.

Pouting, Anya grudgingly followed the woman, who pulled her along at a fast pace with the rope. She could feel her skin roasting in the bright sun. Sweat dripped down her back and her legs ached. They walked for what seemed like hours, stopping only once. The woman gave Anya some water from a leather bag and a strip of astringent dried meat, which she gagged down only because her stomach grumbled and she felt slightly faint from hunger. Finally they came to a collection of tents scattered over the sand. Several bronze-skinned, flame-haired women strode about. Some seemed to be doing various chores such as cooking or sewing while they laughed and talked amongst themselves, while others carried weapons and stood guard around the tents. A group of young girls chased each other, laughing and play-fighting with sticks. They stopped when Anya entered their midst, staring at her with wide, curious eyes. One odd thing Anya noticed: there didn't seem to be any men.

Anya's captor led her through the hamlet to a large white tent with a cloth door adorned by golden braids and flanked by two purple garbed women bearing spears, their hair tied in high ponytails and the lower half of their faces covered by a piece of cloth. The woman leading Anya stopped before the doors and whispered something to one of the guards, who nodded and slipped inside the tent. Several moments passed, while Anya shuffled her feet in boredom, wondering what would become of her, then the guard returned and lifted the cloth door, beckoning them inside. Inside the tent was dark, lit dimly by several tall oil lamps. An ornate rug adorned the floor, and a woman sat on a cushioned ottoman at the back, another spear-bearing guard behind her. The woman rose when they approached. She wore clothing of deep red, loose pants and a top which covered only her breasts, exposing her muscular stomach. A large, diamond-shaped jewel adorned the center of her forehead, and gold makeup painted her eyes and lips.

Anya's captor bowed her head respectfully, pulling the cloth down from her face. "Nabeera," she said, pushing Anya to her knees.

"Hey!" Anya exclaimed. Both women ignored her. She tried to stand up, but her captor placed a firm hand on her shoulder, holding her down. Anya grumbled and instead sat cross legged on the carpeted ground.

"Arim," Nabeera said, addressing Anya's captor, "what news do you bring?"

"I found this girl wandering about near the Black Grave. I brought her back for questioning."

Nabeera nodded and turned her gaze to Anya. "Girl, what is your name?"

Anya glared at her. "Maybe if you untie me I'll tell you."

Nabeera looked at Arim and nodded. Arim drew one of her swords from its scabbard and pressed it to Anya's throat. "Answer," she commanded.

Anya gulped. "Okay, okay. It's Anya! Anya Sanford."

"Anya Sanford," Nabeera repeated. "And tell me Anya Sanford. What were you doing by the Black Grave?"

"I don't know!" Anya said. "I don't know what that is or even how I got here. Cara was giving her presentation on Zelda and then there was this flash of light, and then boom! I'm waking up in a bunch of dumb sand."

Nabeera eyed her suspiciously. "A strange story. Arim, what was this girl doing when you found her?"

"She was being chased by Leevers," Arim replied.

"Leevers? And she was unarmed?"

Arim nodded. "Yes. If I may add, shortly before I found her, there was a great flash of light which drew me in her direction."

Nabeera folded her arms, studying Anya for a long moment. "I do not think this girl is the culprit who robbed the Black Grave," she said. "Nevertheless, she speaks a strange tale and she seems to know something of the Spirit Maiden. Hold her prisoner for now; I will question her again later."

"Yes, Nabeera," Arim said. She pulled Anya to her feet.

"Wait, prisoner? Oh come on!" Anya whined as she was dragged back outside.

* * *

A few hours later, Anya found herself sitting inside a tent, alone except for a guard who stood at the door, watching her carefully. The guard was younger than Arim and Nabeera, who both seemed to be in their late twenties or early thirties. This girl looked closer to Anya's age. Maybe Anya could get somewhere with her.

"Hello! Excuse me!" Anya called.

The guard did not respond, but she met Anya's eyes so Anya knew she was listening. "Can you tell me where we are? And why am I being held prisoner?" Anya asked.

"This is the Lanayru Desert," the girl responded, "and you are being held prisoner because Lady Nabeera suspects you may be involved with the thief who raided the Black Grave a few weeks ago."

"But I don't know anything about any graves or thieves or anything. I don't even know how I got here, and I've never heard of the Lanayru Desert." As Anya spoke the desert's name, she felt a tug at the back of her mind, like she was forgetting something, but she couldn't figure out what.

The guard shrugged. "Nabeera will hear your story and decide if you're telling the truth or not."

"When will that be?" The guard shrugged again and Anya sighed. She picked up the bowl of stew someone had brought her earlier and picked at it. It was too spicy; every swallow burned her insides and she quickly gave up eating and lay down on the floor. Between hunger and boredom, she soon fell asleep.

Anya woke to someone kicking her in the side. "Ow! Hey!" she shouted, batting at the offending foot. She sat up groggily, trying to remember where she was. Before she had a chance to fully wake up, a hand grabbed her and pulled her to her feet.

"Get up. Nabeera wishes to see you now!"

"Na-who?" Anya said. And then everything came rushing back to her. She was in the middle of some desert, being held prisoner by mean women who tried to starve her by feeding her spicy food because they thought she had robbed some grave. Graves were creepy. Why would she want to rob one? Sheesh.

She was pulled outside, where the sun was just peaking over the horizon, back to Nabeera's tent and pushed roughly inside. Nabeera sat cross-legged on the floor, gazing into the distance, deep in thought. She blinked when Anya entered, her mind returning to the present, and rose to her feet. "We meet again, Anya Sanford," she said.

"Just Anya is fine," Anya said. "You know, you could tell your people they don't have to be so rough." She folded her arms and pouted. Well, at least she wasn't tied up anymore.

"My apologies, Anya. You must understand that we can't go easy on prisoners."

"But I didn't do anything!" Anya puffed her cheeks out in frustration.

"That is exactly what we're going to discuss. You mentioned yesterday that a bright flash of light brought you here. I want to hear the rest of your story."

Anya thought about it. "That's about it. Cara was giving a presentation on Zelda, then there was a bright light, and here I am. It's so weird."

"You mentioned Zelda before. What is your connection with her?" Nabeera asked.

"Huh?" Anya blinked at her in confusion. "I know she's the Princess of Hyrule in the Zelda games. I really haven't played much Zelda. I played Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask with Cara and Lindsay, but that's about it."

Nabeera placed a hand on her chin, her face puzzled. "You speak very strangely," she said. "I don't know what you mean by 'games,' but you must know that Hyrule has no princess."

"What? Everyone knows Zelda is the princess. Duh!"

Nabeera raised her eyebrows. "It seems we are not speaking of the same Hyrule or the same Zelda," she said. "We can return to this topic later, but for now I believe I should tell you, the goddess Din sent me a dream about you last night."

"A dream?" Anya repeated. She paused as something clicked in her brain. "Wait, Din? As in one of the three goddesses of Hyrule?"

"Yes of course."

"Oh!" Anya shouted, making Nabeera start. "You're a Gerudo! This is Hyrule! But that means I'm in a Zelda game?"

"Again with your talk of games. I don't know what you mean, but yes, this is Hyrule and we are the Gerudo tribe."

Anya smacked her forehead. Of course, it all made sense now. She'd been transported to Hyrule! That was why the Triforce had shone like that! Did that mean the others were here somewhere too, or was it just her?

Nabeera cleared her throat, catching Anya's attention. "If you are finished speaking," she said, a slight hint of irritation in her tone.

"Oh sorry. I'm done!" Anya said.

"Good. Then as I was saying, Din spoke to me in a dream, and told me that I should believe your story and have you trained as a Gerudo warrior."

Anya stared at the Gerudo. "Train me?"

Nabeera nodded. "Goddess's words or not, I will not accept just anyone into our tribe." She narrowed her eyes. "You must prove yourself as a worthy warrior. If not, I will not hesitate to have you thrown into the desert, where you will likely die of dehydration or be killed by the desert monsters."

Anya gaped at her in horror, but Nabeera either didn't notice or didn't care. She waved at the guard standing in the back of the room. "Have Anya taken to a trainer; I think Sahmaya will be a good choice. Explain to her that Anya is to be trained and tested as a Gerudo. She will have two months to complete her training and prove her worthiness."

The guard nodded. "Yes, Lady Nabeera."

"Wait, two months?" Anya said, looking over her shoulder as the guard took her firmly by the elbow and guided her toward the exit. "Isn't that too soon?"

But Nabeera ignored her. As Anya stepped into the light of the newly risen sun, she felt her doom impending over her.


End file.
